Pastry Puffs with Caviar

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a large baking sheet.

Bring water, butter, and salt to a boil in a 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, stirring. Reduce heat to moderate.

Add flour all at once and cook, beating with a wooden spoon until mixture pulls away from side of pan, about 45 seconds.

Remove from heat and cool slightly, then add 2 raw eggs 1 at a time, beating well with wooden spoon after each addition.

Transfer mixture to pastry bag and pipe 24 mounds (about 1 inch wide by 1 inch high) onto baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. With a finger dipped in water, lightly tap down points on mounds to make tops round.

Bake profiteroles until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and pierce each profiterole once with a wooden pick. Turn off oven and return profiteroles to oven, letting them stand in residual heat 5 minutes more.

Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Horizontally cut off top third of each profiterole with a serrated knife and discard tops. Force boiled egg through a medium-mesh sieve into a small bowl and stir in parsley. Spoon a rounded 1/4 teaspoon caviar into each profiterole and sprinkle with a bit of egg mixture.

Profiteroles can be baked and cooled 1 day ahead, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Recrisp in a preheated 350°F oven, 5 minutes, before cutting and filling.